My methodology is what I would call 'modular', hence the title of this website. Another word would be 'adaptive'. I hope to approach every student as an individual, idiosyncratic writer whose tuition will be adapted to their genre, style, and ability level, with both their short- and long-term goals in mind.

For my own contributions, I draw from a wide variety of literary and analytic disciplines including stylistics & literary linguistics, narratology, and other types of formalism, as well as literary theory & criticism, poetics, and other forms of general writing craft. Which of these takes priority is dependent on the needs of the student, although I do find that descriptive stylistics at the sentence-level is often a good place to start for most writers, as one thing we can all agree upon is that all fiction includes sentences.

While I am mostly focused on practical advice that can be implemented by the student, I do also believe that a broad and open-minded view of literature and literary history is also vital, so I endeavour to make any student aware of the possibilities and constraints of their chosen genre or style, and how those relate to a larger literary world. While this type of instruction doesn't always come with an immediate applicability, it is still a very important aspect of writing practice, and is what would be expected of any student undertaking a university degree, anywhere from Bachelor to Doctoral level, whose standards I strive to meet, especially for ongoing students. 

It's also important to consider what the student must bring to the arrangement. While I can guide you on your way, I cannot aid progress without the earnest collaboration of the student. In all but the most anomalous cases, good writing is always the result of hard work, extended study, the establishment of a stable writing practice, and lots and lots of reading across a wide variety of literature, both contemporary and classic. Although this last point does seem to have become a matter of controversy in the last few years. This is, in part, understandable, especially in an increasingly uncertain world where time is at a premium. Be that as it may, there is simply no way around this. In practical terms, extensive reading of fiction will allow traction for your writing education: it is so much easier to comprehend the benefits of this or that technique if you are able to connect that technique to your own substantial reading experiences.